Did This Goat Make ‘The Most Racist’ Ad in History?

Mountain Dew has pulled an ad that at least one expert called “arguably the most racist commercial in history.” The ad, part of a series developed by the rapper Tyler the Creator, features a battered woman, a police lineup, and a talking goat–and goes downhill from there. As the police push the woman to identify a suspect in the lineup–black men played by members of Odd Future, the hip-hop collective led by Tyler the Creator–the goat says intimidating things to the witness like “Ya better not snitch on a playa,” “Keep ya mouth shut” and “snitches get stitches, fool.” The goat also makes the comment “I’ma get out of here and I’ma do you up.” The “do you up,” of course, seems to be a play on the slogan for the beverage: “Dew It.” It also seems to imply that the goat is going to harm or sexually assault the woman. In the headline to an online essay, social commentator Dr. Boyce Watkins called the spot “Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History.” In other words, Don Draper in 1968 would have realized this ad was racially and sexually insensitive. A representative for PepsiCo said “We apologize for this video and take full responsibility. We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well.”

The manager for the Odd Future rapper, Christian Clancy, had a note posted on Tumblr with one of those nonapology apologies reading “It was never Tylers intention to offend however offense is personal and valid to anyone who is offended. Out of respect to those that were offended the ad was taken down. For those who know and respect Tyler he is known for pushing boundaries and challenging stereotypes thru humor. This is someone who grew up on David Chappelle.” The big difference being Dave Chappelle is actually funny. This isn’t Mountain Dew’s first time at the racism rodeo. The company was widely criticized for its endorsement deal with rapper Lil Wayne, who performed a song that compared a rough sex act to the death of Emmett Till, a black teen murdered in a hate crime in 1955. Watch the goat Mountain Dew ad. What do you think?

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